1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to the operation management for Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications, and more particularly, to Slot Cycle Index (SCI) configuration and timer assignment for M2M communications.
2. Description of the Related Art
For a long time, various machines have been provided to make our lives more convenient in every way. Generally, machines, nowadays, are equipped with computing processors and software to accommodate us with more intelligence-based services. With the advancement of wireless communications, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) technology has been developed to enable communications between remote machines for exchanging information and operating without human interaction. Especially for critical public infrastructures, such as water treatment facilities and bridges, M2M sensors may be employed to monitor the operation statuses of facilities and report measurement results back to control centers via wireless communication networks, such as a Global System for Mobile Communication/General Packet Radio Service (GSM/GPRS), Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Code Division Multiple Access 2000 1x (CDMA2000 1x) system, 1x High Rate Packet Data (1xHRPD) system, and Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, etc. This allows administrators of the critical public infrastructures to know if certain components have been tampered with. Other applications may be earthquake monitoring, electric metering, gas/oil pipeline monitoring, or coke machine maintenance for reporting operation statuses to a centralized system via wireless communication networks, such that related services with higher efficiency and lower maintenance costs may be provided.
In addition to the M2M devices, a typical mobile communication environment also comprises general-purpose Mobile Stations (MS's) which may communicate voice and/or data signals with one or more service networks via radio access stations of the service networks, wherein each of the general-purpose MS's generally uses a rechargeable battery that only lasts for a certain period of time. However, the general-purpose MS's are used on a daily basis during all hours of the day, and thus, may run out of battery power unless the battery is regularly charged. In order to control battery power consumption, a technique called Slot Cycle Index (SCI) may be employed. Simply put, the slot cycle for the standby time of the general-purpose MS's may be increased by adjusting the SCI for the general-purpose MS's. Conventionally, the SCI is set to a value, such that the general-purpose MS's may not have to wake up constantly, while also making sure that incoming calls for the general-purpose MS's will be received (since the voice service is one of the most important communication services conducted on the general-purpose MS's).
Note that, such configuration of the SCI is applied both to the general-purpose MS's and the M2M devices. However, for the M2M devices, the M2M communications provided thereon are usually delay-tolerant and are usually initiated over long repetitions, such as once an hour, once a day, once a week, or once a month, etc., depending on the service type of the M2M communications. Also, a similar problem exists in the assignment of a timer for the general-purpose MS's and the M2M devices to periodically receive overhead messages broadcasted by the radio access station, wherein the overhead messages comprise system information which is updated frequently by both of the general-purpose MS's and the M2M devices.